One Blessed Life - The Official Blog of Christine Schimpf

Thursday, February 15, 2018

It was a great day today because I signed and mailed the
contract back to the publisher for my fourth book, "A Perfect Fit".
What an absolute privilege it is to write. I can't believe my life and how lucky I am to do this as my job. The ideas keep coming for books and my desk and office are becoming, well, catastrophic if you can imagine. I have notes upon notes upon notes. Body mannerisms to remember, dialogue to insert, senses to help embellish a scene. It just keeps coming!!

For those of you who enjoyed my last release, "A Christmas Kind of Perfect", you'll
recognize one of the characters in "A Perfect Fit". I never intended to write two spinoff stories from the Christmas story, but I fell in love with the characters and decided it would be quite fun to pursue it.

So, you're most likely curious about "A Perfect Fit". In a nutshell, it explores the painful process of letting go of a toxic relationship in order to fall in love with the boy next door. And, it will be one book of several in a collection written by other Christian authors. What a treat for readers.

Meanwhile, I'm roughly half-way through working on my fifth book, "A Perfect Ending". Do you remember Lila's literary agent, Andrea Lockhart? You're not going to believe who she meets. This one may have you laughing!

Friday, November 10, 2017

December 1st will be a special day for me because my Christmas romance in eBook format will be released to retailers including Amazon, Apple iStore, Barnes & Noble, Christian Book Distributors and Koorong. The soft cover will follow. This has been a long and patience-building journey since I signed the contract last September. We've been buffing and polishing, selecting the cover art - I hope you love it as much as I do - and preparing for the book's entry into this big world.

Each week, I'll share an excerpt from the book on my facebook page to wet your whistles and hopefully draw you into the story. I think you'll love it - it's a story about regrets and forgiveness and finding that perfect love all over again. So, here we are three weeks before release day. Let's begin this journey together. Until next time, let us enjoy this life we are blessed to live.

Sunday, July 2, 2017

I had the pleasure of entering my very first pie baking contest this July 4th holiday weekend. What a thrill that was. The judges lifted the entries to inspect the filling, they broke the pie crust to examine the interior, and allowed themselves plenty of time to come to a final decision.
My pie is the very first one in the picture- Sour Cream Apple - and although I didn't win first prize, a free cooking class with the chef at Zesti's in Hartland, I enjoyed the competition and tension the other bakers and I experienced when the judging began. We huddled together doing our best to decipher what the judges were saying. Too funny!
The well-deserved winner was a lemon meringue cheesecake pie. The winner said it took her all day to make it! I've never even heard of that pie, but hope to get that recipe.
Along with writing romance stories, I love baking pies - it's another creative outlet that brings a lot of joy to others. Whatever you do this holiday, I hope it brings happiness into your lives. Until next time, let us enjoy this life we are blessed to live.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

It certainly was busy this last month attending two
Author Events. One at West Allis Library and the other at New Berlin Public
Library. I really enjoy these opportunities because we, as authors, have a chance to
talk with the reading audience, find out what they enjoy reading, and present
our books. It’s a win-win.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Today was our dog, Rudy's, 10th birthday. He's entered a new decade of life just as I did last month. I'm not sure about you, but I'll admit right now, sometimes I take our furry friend for granted.
Rudy and I walk every day, pretty much the same route - a 40 minutes lap around the neighborhood. He sniffs and tinkles, and I pound the pavement. In my head I'm working on the next scene for my work-in-progress. For him, he's on the hunt. It's a win-win for both of us.
We're a good match, Rudy and I, as we both need to be outside every day - unless of course, it's below 20 degrees - that's our line. When I ask him if he's ready for a walk the answer in his face is always yes. If it drifts beyond "our time" he quietly walks over and sits next to me and then stares! He knows it's time! Let's Go!
We've had Golden Retrievers before Rudy, and I know that our time with him is dwindling, but for now, I'll enjoy this time together with my buddy. Until next time, let us enjoy this life we are blessed to live.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Does this photo make you ache for a get-a-way? I’m curious how you are all doing with your New Year’s
resolutions. Maybe you’re not a resolution person, but instead; you set yearly
goals as I do. One of mine being not to worry. Tying in a goal to what
motivates us becomes a strong bond to see our goals through. Personally,
reading scripture every morning – especially Proverbs – or listening to a new
piece of music – usually composed of string instruments – or reading a famous
quote – one that tweaks my world just a tad, helps me immensely.

Today, I want to touch on the concept of worry with a
real-life example... Yesterday, my son-in-law and daughter drove me to the
airport during rush-hour Nashville traffic. For those of you who have
experienced this, there’s really not much I can add other than to say it was extremely
congested to the point of stopped traffic on the interstate. So, we opted for
the back roads thinking we find clear passage. Nope! Almost an hour later (to
travel 15 miles) I made my flight with three minutes to spare and a scolding
from the luggage attendant!

During the drive, I pondered. I considered. I felt a bit
anxious, but I refused to worry my mind with thoughts such as: what happens if
I miss my flight? Will I be able to book another flight this morning? Will I
spend the day at the terminal? Instead, I chose to trust that if I missed my
flight there must be a reason. Was there someone I’d cross paths with whom I
needed to connect with?

As a writer, I gather my experiences through life and
use them later in dialogue or setting a scene, or in behavior for my characters.
Life itself is a classroom for me.

So, today I leave you with something that inspires me
- a quote from my ultimate heroine, Joyce Meyers from her devotional, “Trusting
God Day by Day”. “Nothing is outside God’s control, so in reality there is
nothing to worry about.” I hope it helps you if you struggle with the same
weakness as I. We can overcome with the tools that motivate us. Find yours. Happy 2017.

Friday, October 14, 2016

I had the pleasure of receiving a phone call from one of my readers a few weeks ago. Jan said she read my first book, published in 2011, "Nick, The Journey of a Lifetime". What an absolute thrill to hear from her. She explained that she loved the book so much because she had a similar past that she encouraged her book club to read it. She asked if I would be willing to visit with them and discuss the book and my writing journey. We set a date and had several follow-up conversations to prepare for the day's event.

It was a beautiful day to take a drive to Cedar Communities in West Bend. The book club members had reserved their lecture hall for the afternoon's event. They provided me with a microphone, which I've never used before but loved it because everyone could hear me, a podium, and a table to set up my display boards, photos and books.

The presentation began at 3:00. I was asked to speak for an hour to their book club, two guest book clubs, and a memoir group looking for tips and advice - about 35 audience members. That hour sped by as I explained the steps I used to writing and publishing my first book, a peek into my second book, and my advice to those wishing to write their memoirs.

I was given a tour of their facility, which had more of a hotel feel than apartment living. I saw an enormous pool and eight-person hot tub, a satisfying arts and craft center, a huge barn that offers resident woodworkers with enough space and equipment to feel like they're in woodworkers heaven, an attractive restaurant, a gift shop and store and three libraries.

After the tour, we enjoyed an fabulous dinner at the restaurant surrounded by the colors of fall from the birch trees outside nearby windows. Our conversation drifted from their childhood years to the electronic devices of today. We laughed, we ate good food, and we enjoyed each others' company and when dusk settled in I was reluctantly on my way home.

Presenting at book clubs, organizations, associations or book stores and gift shops never gets old. It's a privilege to talk about my work and an appreciated opportunity to give back to others seeking the same writing path.